JAY – Directors of the Jay Development Corp. along with the selectmen voted Monday to start the preliminary phase of developing six lots in a state-sanctioned economic development zone located behind the Jay Plaza.
There are about 144 acres in Jay included in the Pine Tree Zone, the majority located around the Jay Plaza where Hannaford and the former Ames was located.
“If we don’t try to do something in the Pine Tree Zone, we might not be able to keep them,” Alison Hagerstrom, executive director of the Greater Franklin Development Corp. told the board.
The state developed Pine Tree Zones as an incentive for eligible businesses in targeted areas, such as manufacturing and technology, to open or expand there.
An economic group has been meeting regularly to discuss ways to entice businesses to the area.
The group has talked about a business park, and members decided they needed to find out how much of the land was usable and buildable, Hagerstrom said.
Main-Land Development owner Darryl Brown said he had one of his draftsmen draw up a potential land-use plan. They found that buildable land behind the plaza as expected, Hagerstrom said.
There are six lots in the concept plan, which calls for a road to go over the old railroad bed now used for recreation. The lots ranged in size from 2 acres to 9 acres, with varying amounts of wetlands.
Some of the lots could be combined to make a bigger lot, Brown said. The road could be about 1,200 feet to 1,300 feet long with a turn-around or cul-de-sac at the end, he said.
The lots could be developed for use by small manufacturing or industrial businesses that could provide 20 to 30 jobs, Brown said.
Hagerstrom said she plans to talk to Lionel Dubord, who has more than 40 acres in the zone, and Jose Diaz, who has more than 50 acres in the zone, to see if they have any ideas for businesses to go on their properties.
The plaza land is owned by the town but leased to Bob Bahre of South Paris. That land and the land behind the plaza is a holding of Jay Development Corp.
The approval to move forward with the preliminary proposal allows town and economic development officials to get estimates on how much it would cost to build a road, put in sewer and water lines and do feasibility studies, Town Manager Ruth Marden said.
“Things are not going to happen overnight,” Hagerstrom said.
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